


As The Bleak Winter Sets In

by Sukuangtou



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Blood, Brother Feels, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Chimera Alphonse, Chimeras, Developing Relationship, Elric Brothers, F/M, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-02 22:57:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5267024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sukuangtou/pseuds/Sukuangtou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alphonse has been missing for a week, and Edward is going mad trying to find his baby brother. Meanwhile, Mustang is dealing with a case of random chimeras turning up in Central, seemingly abandoned why whoever created them.</p><p>And then Roy finds Al.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphonse deals with his captor, though fins himself in the terrifying situation of being moved to another body. Again.

“So I thought to myself,” Wide, almost delirious eyes swivelled to look at Alphonse, “What’s the best way of only getting the human mind? How do we do that without merging the bodies, making the thing useless? You see us scientists are always looking to improve our work.” The man crouched down, placing a hand on the unfeeling metal armour, a giggle echoing in his throat. “And then I realised, why we don’t need the body, all we want is the mind,” He removed the chest plate, reaching in to slowly tap the inside, his finger inches away from the blood seal.

“So you began to use the criminals,” Alphonse finished shakily, “The ones in laboratory five.”

“Hmm, not quite,” He scratched the back of his head, pushing himself up to his feet, “That lab was destroyed before I could put my plan into motion, and I didn’t stick around long, as, you know, didn’t fancy being a human sacrifice and all. It would ruin my fun.”

“So why now?” The child all but shouted, desperately trying to control the terror in his voice. He needed to delay, to distract, he needed to give Edward more time, “Why is it you need to try this now?” He was in trouble, deep trouble. If he had a body he would have sucked in a breath, trying feverishly to calm himself down, to keep in control. He had somehow managed to hold off this man for about a week now, maybe a little longer, dodging his questions, giving unspecific answers, holding off the experiment the man seemed so eager in trying. He could not let that all go to waste, despite how scared he was. He could do it, he was an Elric. An Elric was stubborn creature, he could keep this going. 

Right?

He was defenceless, his arms, legs, even his head having been separated from him days ago. There was nothing he could do, no way to protect himself, if this man decided today was the day. He silently pleaded to his brother to find him. He wanted out. He couldn’t do this. He wanted to go _home_.

“Well, I suppose morbid curiosity comes into it,” The man, who still had not given his name, shrugged, “I am a scientist after all. And,” He turned and walked outside the circle, waving his hand half-heartedly, “I’ve always wanted a pet.” Disappearing out the room, he returned within a few moments, dragging a large, semi-conscious mongrel behind him. In an instant Alphonse’s heart reached out to the poor creature, its long fur mangled and knotted, its dark eyes hazed, watching helplessly as it toppled to the ground in a heap next to him as the man released his grip on the scruff. 

“Oh, you poor thing,” He whispered, longing to take it into his arms. Lifting his voice, he turned to the man, “Please, don’t do this. I’ll tell you-”

“I haven’t gone through all this trouble to just stop now you know.” He knelt outside the circle, “You’ve had plenty of time to talk. I’m afraid I’ve grown impatient. Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.”

“No! Please! I don’t want this!” He was begging now, images of brother, Winry, Pinako, Mustang and Hawkeye, even Nina flashing through his mind, “You can’t do this! I don’t want this! Please! Brother-”

“Isn’t here to stop me!” He clapped his hands, “Let’s face it, he failed you!”

“No he didn’t! Please! Please just-” Hands slammed onto the ground, the earth jerked, and Alphonse was ripped from the familiar metal into a world of black.

*

Pain was the first thing that registered in his muddled, stinging, confused mind, and at first, he wondered if brother had done it. They had found the Philosopher’s Stone and they had restored their bodies, and now they could go home again and brother could finally marry Winry and they could be happy. But then manic laughter began to seep into his ears, so crazed and so not brother that realisation dawned on him. Wrong body. He was in the wrong body. What body was he meant to be in again?

Blinking open his eyes, fog and dust and soot met his vision, a silhouette moving around in the distance. A metal body. That was it. He was meant to be metal - Metal armour. No, wait, he was meant to be human. He was a human person, a little boy. Boy? Yeah, he was pretty sure it was a boy. There had been a little girl too, though. Nana?

“It worked!” The shadow sprung upon him, eager hands gripping and touching, “Look at you! Oh you’re perfect!” Fingers suddenly gripped his back, pulling at him to get up, “Come on then, let’s see you stand.”

*

To say Edward Elric was pissed was the understatement of the century. He was beyond pissed; in fact he was pretty sure that if Mustang did not get his men moving right now he would be doing some fire alchemy of his own. Gritting his teeth, he gazed around at the darkened streets of Central, the stupid part of his brain telling him that maybe Alphonse would appear around the corner at any moment, apologising pitifully and giving his excuses. Knowing Al, he had probably discovered a hoard of kittens or something. 

One week.

Huffing, Edward turned back to the situation at hand. He was stood at the entrance of one of the side alleys, down which numerous military personal were crowded. Mustang stood a little in front of him, watching the scene with blank eyes. Hawkeye was in her usual position by his shoulder, looking a mix of disgust and professional. Edward didn’t blame her; it was a pretty disturbing site. Following their gaze, he returned his attention to the pitiful chimera before them, some sort of dog hybrid thing, with bones in the wrong places and a constant whimper echoing in its hollow chest. It watched them all with pained eyes, and was clearly suffering. 

It was something that had been giving them the slip for a while, along with a handful of other chimeras wondering the streets. Where they were coming from was anyone’s guess, much to the frustration of Mustang, who had been ordered to deal with it. Edward had not, in fact it was only by chance that he had stumbled across the creature, he was initially looking for Al. 

A part of him was thankful Alphonse was not here to witness this.

Sighing tiredly, Mustang gave the order, having had the all clear from the higher-ups, “Men, get ready.” The soldiers did as instructed, lifting their guns, though many did not look happy about it. Still, this was for the best, the poor thing was in a horrible condition, letting it live would be downright cruel. Out of the corner of his eye Ed noticed Hawkeye turn away slightly. 

“Take aim,” The guns all clicked in preparation, “Fire.” The guns sounded.

Edward closed his eyes and took a deep breath before slowly turning, disappearing out of sight to continue his own mission.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward searches for his brother, but finds his worst nightmare.

Not-Brother seemed to be very pleased with him, though he was not sure he really understood why. After he had shakily got to his feet, Not-Brother had gasped and gaped at him, marvelling at how big he was and petting his sensitive snout. He was not that tall, he thought, maybe a little bigger than Not-Brother, but not by much. Not-Brother had then made him sit down; lifting up one of his front legs to examine his long fingers, taking notes and photos.

“Can you grip anything?” He asked eagerly, “Here, can you hold this cup?” He couldn’t, but that didn’t seem to deter Not-Brother. He just nodded and made more notes before turning to his neck, feeling and prodding, making him whimper and shuffle back.

“No, sit still for Master.” Master? Did Not-Brother want to be called Master? That was a funny name. It was not even a real name. Someone should really tell him that was not a real name; after all, things could get embarrassing. He nudged at Not-Brother’s hand.

“Not a name,” He said quietly, his voice feeling weird and deformed, before giving a small lick to Not-Brother’s hand to lessen the blow. It didn’t seem to work, as Not-Brother went ridged before rapidly scribbling in his book. Maybe he was thinking of other names? He knew some names; maybe Not-Brother would like those?

“Winry?” Oh, wait, no that was silly, that was a girl’s name. He knew a Winry, but she was at home. 

“What?” Not-Brother said, bringing him back from his thoughts. The man now had a confused frown on his face, “What are you talking about Alphonse?” He cocked his head.

“Al…Phonse?”

“Yes, that’s your name. Who’s Winry?” He merely blinked.

“I’m…Alphonse?” He tried the sound in his mouth. Huh. Alphonse. He liked having a name. He wagged his tail to show this, lifting his head a little and perking his ears, “I’m Alphonse!”

“Yes, well done,” Not-Brother seemed a little perplexed, maybe confused why Alphonse had gained a name when they were meant to be thinking of one for him. Oops, they would have to work on that. Somewhere in the distance, a phone rang, the handset clattering about noisily. Tutting, Not-Brother rose to answer it, quickly crossing the room, vanishing through the doorway and up the stairs, a moment later the ringing stopped and a muffled voice was picked up by the chimera’s hypersensitive ears. 

Alphonse whined at the loss of his friend, struggling to his clumsy feet and trotting over to the door. He paused, tentatively touching the doorframe with his snout. Could he fit through here? His head was fine, but his shoulders were broad and might be a bit too wide. Carefully stepping forward, Alphonse realised that he was also too tall, so hastily lowered himself closer to the ground, gradually wiggling his way through, his sides brushing against the wood. Once cleared, he climbed the set of steps and sniffed the air, following the trail down a corridor to his left in a light jog. Not-Brother’s voice got louder until Alphonse rounded a corner and practically trampled him, causing Not-Brother to yelp in surprise and drop the phone.

“Alphonse, no!” Not-Brother snapped, grabbing at the dangling phone, “Go sit over there!” Taken aback, Alphonse did as he was told, tail drooping between his legs. He didn’t like being shouted at. Not-brother hastily finished his call, sending glances over his shoulder at the chimera.

“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow night. Bye.” Hanging up, he turned on the canine, frowning sternly, “Alphonse.” Instantly he was on his feet, bending to grovel at the man’s heels – Or at least as close as he could get to them, even lying down he reached just below the man’s shoulders.

“Sorry, I’m sorry.” He gave a pathetic whimper, ears back, “Are you hurt?”

“No, no I’m fine,” A hand was placed on his head, “But do not wander off by yourself. You will do as I tell you, and I didn’t say you could leave that room.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Not-Brother huffed, and the hand left his head as the man began to walk away.

“Good, now let’s see if I have a big enough collar for you.”

*

The clean-up operation brought a surprise for the soldiers left on-scene in the form of another chimera, the creature intrigued enough by the activity going on so late at night to slink out of its hiding place. This time it was some kind of panther jumbled with a monkey, and was in considerably less pain than the previous animal. It was horribly thin, and showed great curiosity at the dead corpse, probably wondering if it could eat it. Thus, capturing it had been as simple as one of the officers sacrificing his ham sandwich to lure the chimera into a cage before it was then transferred to headquarters. Unfortunately by the time it took to get it there, the building was more or less deserted, and Mustang had already gone home, so it wasn’t until ten o’clock the next day that he was able to get a look at the creature.  
“And it just wandered up to you?” He inquired, looking quizzically at the thing, which was dozing lightly, completely content. In their previous cases, the chimeras were usually in a state of hysterics by now, but this one seemed totally unfazed. Had it been with people before?

“Yes sir, and it has showed no hostilities towards us at all.” The soldier answered, all but ready to pass out after a nights watch over the animal.

“Ok. Dismissed.” The man hurried from his office, leaving himself, Hawkeye, and Armstrong staring at the thing.

“So, now what?” Armstrong voiced after a moment, looking thoroughly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Mustang shrugged.

“What we did to the rest of them, send them to those up top and let them decide.” He knelt beside the cage, “Though it will probably be destroyed like the others.”

“It seems like such a waste,” Armstrong knelt too, holding out a hand for the chimera to sniff, “It’s such a docile thing.” As if to prove the point, the cat-monkey licked the outstretched fingers, a purr rumbling around in its throat. 

“But we don’t know where it came from,” Mustang shook his head, standing again, “Or what the purpose of it being made was. At a flick of a button somewhere it might turn on us or, heck, explode or something. It might even be carrying a disease. Don’t go soft on me now Armstrong.” Said man sighed somewhat sadly, and nodded.

“Shall I take it upstairs then sir?”

“Yes. And don’t set it free.” Armstrong mumbled something under his breath, picking up the cage with ease and leaving the room. Rubbing his temples, Mustang moved back to his desk, plonking down in the old chair.

“Sir?” Hawkeye spoke up, “Any more on Alphonse?” Leaning back, Mustang crossed his arms, spinning the chair so he could look out the window.

“No, this chimera case is taking up all our time at the moment, and Alphonse isn’t exactly military personnel,” He turned back to her, “People go missing all the time, it’s not our job to find them.”

“And Edward? He hasn’t been in the office or on a case all week, sir.”

“I received his request for leave this morning, and I granted it.” Leaning forward, Mustang rested his head on his fist, “There’s not much point trying to send him somewhere right now, he wouldn’t be concentrating.” 

*

The fifth time Edward nearly got run over, he realised maybe it was best to get some something to eat. Having worked on an empty stomach all day, his head was beginning to get more than a little fuzzy and his legs were doing all sorts of wacky things. So, begrudgingly, he sat down at a café’s outside table and ordered the soup of the day. The wind was beginning to turn chilly now, he noted while waiting, the warmer afternoons of autumn slowly melting into early winter, and no doubt tonight the temperature would plummet quickly. He would need to watch that, becoming sick at a time like this would help with nothing.

He wondered if winter had arrived yet in Resembool, it was always a little earlier there, and being in the countryside they tended to be harsher than in the relatively sheltered city. The first time they spent winter here, Mustang had teased him on the giant coat Alphonse had bundled him into, both of them unused to the climate difference and expecting the usual meters of snow. A part of Edward briefly mused if they could spend Christmas with Winry this year, it had been so long, Al would certainly enjoy that…

Edward shook his head - No, he needed to focus. Where the hell was that damn soup anyway? His knee, his only flesh knee, began to jog on the spot impatiently, and he physically had to stop himself from frantically searching the streets around him as he waited. Alphonse would want him to have a few moments rest, so that was what he would do. He would allow himself a sit down, eat something, and give his heart a chance to calm for a second. 

That did not stop Edward practically inhaling his soup when it did eventually arrive, however, and glugging down the glass of water as if his life depended on it. Then he was up again, leaving a small tip for the waitress and taking off yet another alley. After all, ten minutes rest was more than enough. He needed to be moving, covering as much ground as humanly possible. Alphonse could be absolutely anywhere in Central, which was hardly a small city. Heck, he might even be halfway across the country, or even outside it! But Edward had no leads, no information on Al’s whereabouts, so for the moment he simply had to hope his little brother was somewhere here, and, hopefully, ok. Edward grit his teeth, hands clenching at his sides as his mind let his worries stew, voicing the concerns he dare not admit he held.

_Al was probably dead._

_Normally you find him within a few hours, a day or so at the most._

_You somehow lost a giant suit of armour, and you think you can find the Philosopher’s Stone?_

Shaking his head, he pushed on, ignoring how his breath was beginning to puff about in front of him as the day cooled into early evening. Eventually he found himself by the river in the not-so-nice part of Central, and as he marched along he could detect the subtle changes from the neater town centre; the less uniform brick work, the rubbish building up in corners of the street, the bars across shop windows. This was not somewhere Ed fancied exploring as dark began to fall, but he had yet search this area, and maybe being further away from the military headquarters would mean people’s tongues were a lot looser. Turning down an alleyway, movement ahead caught his attention, slowing him down to a stop so he could crouch in the shadows. Moments later the sound of someone being punched echoed through the dark. 

“Pathetic,” Someone, a male, Edward realised as he got closer, sneered, looking down at a limp figure on the floor, “And to think my boss thought you were worth the time and money.”

“I am,” The person on the floor begged, “Please, I need the funding. I can do better, I swe-”

“Have you created a human yet?” The man asked, looking down at the stricken form, “He gave you all the materials you needed, all the animals you wanted, even that tin can you were so desperate for, yet what have you done? Created a dog. Great.” 

Edward’s eyes widened, his heart freezing mid-beat as his breath caught in his throat. Anger began to seep through him, his vision melting into crimson red as the man gave the other another kick, seemingly ready to leave. Oh no, not on his watch. Springing forward, he all but flew at the standing man, tackling him to the ground with a sickening crack, a scream ripping from his throat. One week he had been without his brother, and now he wanted him _back._

“Where is he?” He shouted, pinning the terrified man’s shoulders, “Where’s my brother?” The man stuttered and spluttered, blinking up at him in utter confusion. 

“W-What brother? Who the hell are you?”

“No!” Edward gave him a rough shake, “I ask the questions. You said you took a _tin can_ , what the hell did you do to him?”

“I did nothing!” He pointed at the other male, “I was only the transport, only following my boss’ orders! He’s the one who has him now. I merely caught him! Honest kid!” Edward’s gaze slowly turned to the other man, who was looking at him in horror. Standing, he lent forward and grabbed the guy’s collar, bringing him up to his face. Preoccupied, he totally missed the other guy now making a brake for it and vanishing down the street, seconds later the sound of an engine speeding away.

“I hope you won’t be giving me any trouble,” He ground out into the man’s face, “Now, where is my brother?”

“T-The one with the spikes, yes? Called himself Alphonse?” Edward’s grip tightened and the man whimpered.  
“Yes. Answer the damn question.” The man watched him for a moment, eyes skimming over his face, before finally swallowing.

“Dead,” He said slowly, face now unreadable, “The blood seal was broken during my experiment.”

The world seemed to dip around him, Edward’s world tunneling momentarily as he stopped breathing altogether. He rapidly blinked away the frustrated wetness building in his eyes.

“You’re lying!” He bellowed, “Where is he?”

“Go look for yourself, the armour’s still in there.” The man pointed to a door behind him, “Down in the cellar.” There was a heartbeat of a pause before Ed slammed him into the wall, ignoring as the man fell limp, racing through the door, searching desperately for the cellar. 

“Al? Alphonse!” He began opening doors at random, finding a study, a few corridors, until eventually some downwards steps. Without a second thought he flung himself down them, two, even three at a time, smashing open the door at the bottom before freezing, his erratic pulse thumping in his ears. Soot and dust lay scattered everywhere, blasted against the walls and dancing in the air from the harsh movements caused by Edward. Spread across the floor, the smudged remains of a transmutation circle could barely be seen, various broken pieces of chalk scattered around the edges. Then, over in the far corner, was the body of the armour.

“Alphonse!” Sprinting over, Edward fell to his knees, hands frantically grasping at the cold metal, “Al, Alphonse talk to me!” It was missing the helmet, the arms, and the legs, meaning Edward could not see the calming red glow of Alphonse’s ‘eyes’ that he was so desperate for. Swallowing, a shudder racking his spine as he still received no response, he snatched the armour and tilted it forward, moving it into the light.

“No…” Edward stared at that familiar circle of red, his own blood, the pattern he had so perfectly created while lying in agony. His little brother. 

It was cracked. Split into a dozen little jagged fractures.

Alphonse was gone.

Alphonse was _dead._

And Edward was alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always welcome!


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mustang and Armstrong make a horrifying discovery.

The military arrived soon after; they had eyes and ears everywhere, after all. The guy they found sprawled across the pavement, still unconscious, was swiftly arrested and dragged away to be interrogated later, Mustang declining the chance to go with them. For now, he had bigger problems, such as one Fullmetal Alchemist curled up in the corner clinging to the now empty suit of armour as if his life depended on it. His head was bowed, the long unkempt fringe hiding his eyes, but Mustang knew by the small spasmodic hitching of his shoulders that Edward was crying. His hands held the suit in a vice grip, the metal pulled up somewhat awkwardly onto his lap with an astonishing amount of care. 

It was such an utter look of defeat so foreign on a larger-than-life person such as Edward that Mustang felt at a slight momentary loss of what to do. He highly doubted that he was someone Ed would want to see right now, in fact he seemed fully content to remain put. So, sighing sadly, he ordered Haweye and Falman to care for the boy and assist him back to the base while he and Armstrong continued the rest of the investigation, starting with the study. 

If Mustang’s desk was an unorganised warzone, then this room was a hurricane, followed by a thirty year war, followed by another hurricane. There were random scraps of paper everywhere, smothering the wood, pinned to the walls, abandoned on the floor, all with half thought through ideas, drawings, and small transmutation circles scribbled across them. Piles of old, stained books were strewn all over the place, and photographs of numerous chimeras floated about. Peering at them, Mustang realised they were all chimeras his team had captured over the last few weeks. 

“Well, I guess that’s that then,” He muttered, moving out of the way as the investigation team arrived, and back out into the corridor. Haweye must have called them earlier; he did vaguely remember her glancing in here when they initially arrived. Armstrong followed him, indicating for them to explore the rest of the building before it was swarmed with people. Taking a long corridor to the left, they followed the dim, flickering lights until they came across another set of steps, these ones seeming to go deeper than the ones to the cellar. Armstong muttered something under his breath, and together they descended into the gloom. 

It was another room, this one slightly larger, with an old worn floor and a flickering bulb hanging from the ceiling, giving next to no light whatsoever. The air was dank and stuffy, smelling an awful mix of must and damp dog. 

Then mustang realised why. 

For, lying down against the wall furthest away, was a chimera. 

“Good lord…” Armstrong breathed, staring wide-eyed. This thing was huge, maybe even a little bigger than himself, with what appeared to be a very strong, muscular chest – Something even he, the great Armstrong, whose strength went back many generations, would struggle against. A thick chain looped around its neck, looking a little too tight, and was attached to the wall with alchemy. Thin, light brown fur covered the majority of its body, with dirty blond hair hanging over its face and neck, stopping at the shoulders before sprouting up again from the lower back to cover the long tail, which was wrapped around its hind feet. Its eyes were without colour or pupils, making them almost seem blind, though that was far from the case as it turned its gaze onto the two rigid men. A little clumsily, it stood, sniffing at them from a distance, seemingly unsure if they were friends or enemies. Now on its legs, Mustang realised the back feet were more like the paws of a beast, while the front stretched out and were a little pinker in colour, a little like a monkey’s hands without the opposable thumb and thicker fingers. The face was somewhat similar to that of a dog, with an elongated snout and large, slightly droopy ears. 

“It’s like Nina,” Armstrong said in a low voice, turning to him. Mustang remained mute, but grits his teeth, silently praying that it was just a coincidence, that this was some dog-bear breed and nothing more. He suffered from enough nightmares as it was, he did not need another horror to add to the growing list. 

The chimera’s ears twisted towards them, the head tilting to one side as it studied Armstrong. Then, very carefully, it moved forward, going as close as it could go before the chain began to pull it back, sniffing again, though this time specifically at the other man. Swallowing, Armstrong also stepped closer, holding out his palm for the creature to investigate. After a moment, it visibly perked up, the tail beginning to wag as if happy, _delighted_ , even.

“Armstrong!”

Both men jumped at the deformed, practically hollow voice, watching the animal in absolute terror as it attempted to get closer again, the chain digging into the soft flesh tightly. Mustang had to clench his hand swiftly over his mouth to halt the bile zooming up his throat, a convulsing chill splitting his spine. Next to him, Armstrong stepped back, his mouth hanging open, his eyes bulging. 

Because as warped and as weird as it was, they knew that voice.

They knew it from years in an echoing tin can.

“Alphonse?” He whispered, and the creature turned towards him, tail increasing in speed.

“Alphonse! I’m Alphonse!” It briefly sniffed at him, “Mustang?” Letting his hand fall away into a clenched fist at his side, said man gave a brief nod.

“Oh Alphonse,” Armstrong sounded pitiful, walking over the giant chimera and placing a gentle hand on the snout. The wagging tail calmed, Alphonse pausing to watch the male, nuzzling the hand fondly.

“Why you crying?” He asked gently, clearly confused. He turned his gaze to Mustang, “Why you sad?” When Mustang did not respond he went stiff, a look of alarm spreading across his features, “Was I bad?” He whined and began to lick softly at Armstrong’s hand, “I’m sorry.”

“No, Alphonse,” Mustang muttered quietly, closing the distance between them to carefully hold the massive face in his arms and look into the child’s eyes, “It wasn’t you.”

The gloves stung in his pocket.

“It wasn’t you.” 

*

Edward was aware of the world removing around him, people talking to him gently, moving him into a car, onto a sofa. Something was placed in front of him on a table, he realised, but he just simply could not bring himself to care. In his arms the armour remained, dented in places, a little grubby, and now, he thought bitterly, empty. His clinging grip increased as tears once again built up behind his eyes, a choked sob wrenching in the back of this throat.

Alphonse Elric, his little brother whom he failed _so many_ times, was gone.

Someone muttered something behind him, and a hand was placed on his shoulder. It was an unfamiliar feeling, a small, warm, flesh hand on his shoulder. Normally they were large, unfeeling, holding him back when someone called him short…

No longer would that be the case.

Something broke within him, a little piece of his soul splitting in two as the full realisation finally began to sink in, to penetrate his begin. His brother was gone, and there was no way to bring him back. Edward was no fool to try human transmutation again.

Hot guilt bubbled in his stomach, the little thoughts that had been circling his mind earlier now returning with full force, the regret of taking that lunch break, the panic of letting his brother down, the knowledge that it had been a week and his searching continued to be futile. Because he _did_ fail his only surviving family member, he was _not_ there to save him, he _had_ been blissfully unaware as Alphonse died, unable to move and alone. God, Edward hoped he did not suffer, he prayed it was quick and painless, that Alphonse had been oblivious up to the very end, protecting that innocence Edward had lost so long ago. That sweet, child-like naivety that only Alphonse, despite everything they had been through, could have. A broken chuckle left his lips as the memories of baby Alphonse, eyes wide and curious, floated through his mind, hands reaching for him and mouth trying to work properly and pronounce his name. The child that had begun to grow taller than him, the boy who made them stop to pet every cat on their way home from school.

The ten-year-old who desperately reached for his brother as he was dragged through the gate.

“I sorry Al, you’ve paid for my idiocy again.” He let his hands cover his face as silent rears fell once more.

Somewhere in the distance, there was a commotion, raised voices and angry, no, furious, shouting. Edward paid it no heed, circling up into a ball in the corner of the sofa, fully content to remain there for the rest of the year. He briefly wondered how he was going to tell Winry…

That thought was cut off as the door exploded, making him jump out of his skin. In the doorway stood a silhouetted figure that was undisputedly Armstrong, the giant bulk of a man moving forward, arms outstretched towards him and dramatic tears falling from his eyes.

“Oh Edward, I have just heard the news!” He bellowed, practically sprinting over to the stunned boy, “My deepest condolences at this hard time!” Next thing Edward knew, he was lifted into those mighty arms with a yelp, the armour tumbling from his lap onto the floor with a loud, hollow, clang. He twisted around fiercely.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?” He shouted, “Put me down, Al-”

“But Edward, you cannot be alone at a time like this,” Armstrong interrupted, his voice growing in strength, “In fact, I invite you into my home! I shall nurture you during this difficult time!” He spun around, the fighting Edward still in his arms, and began marching out, grabbing Hawkeye’s wrist as he left, causing her to shout.

“Major! What on earth do-”

“You must help me settle the child in! He needs emotional support at a time like this!” As they left the building into the cooling night he suddenly pulled her close, muttering, “Trust me,” under his breath before going back to shouting about moving in. Hawkeye and Edward shared a bewildered look, their confusion growing as they neared a parked car. “You’re driving, Hawkeye.” Keys were tossed in her direction.

“Oh, right, of course.” She moved around to the driver’s seat while Armstrong, still carrying Edward, climbed into the back. 

“Thanks for the lift,” A slow voice murmured from the front, “It’s so nice of you.”

“Mustang?” Edward, now having been sat in a seat, looked between the two men, completely at a loss.

“S-Sir?” Hawkeye stuttered slightly, equally as confused, “Wh-”

“You offered me a lift, remember?” Mustang said smoothly, turning to Armstrong behind him as Hawkeye started the car, “In fact, I believe that invitation of staying at yours extent to me as well, right?”

“Of course!” Armstrong boomed, “The more people helping Edward the better!” The car’s headlights flickered on and Hawkeye pulled into the road, moving them through the quiet streets.

“Sir,” Hawkeye’s voice was sturdier now, her eyes focused ahead, “What’s going on? You don’t need to act anymore.” Mustang seemed to visibly deflate, leaning forward to hold his head in his hands, sighing tiredly.

“Armstrong and I searched the rest of the building, after you left Fullmetal. We found another chimera.” Hawkeye’s hands tightened over the wheel, but she remained silent as she steered them out of town and into the outskirts of central, where Armstrong lived. Mustang seemed to pause for a moment, watching as they drove up to the driveway of Armstrong’s house, looking a little loss for words. Edward, meanwhile, was beginning to feel the familiar feeling of anger seep into his bones.

“Yeah?” He snapped, “And?”

“It…It was huge,” Armstrong muttered, “Like nothing I’ve ever seen before…”

“And it could talk.” Mustang practically growled. Both Edward and Hawkeye stared in horror.

“Wait, you don’t mean…A human was…” Edward felt his throat tighten as Mustang nodded, memories of Nina rising to the surface of his mind. He could practically hear her happy laughing, asking him to come and play. 

Hawkeye stopped the car outside the house, a grand building, practically a mansion, happily tucked away into the surrounding countryside of central, the city glimmering in the valley below. As they opened the doors to get out, the back of Edward’s mind mildly noted that they had driven through a large set of gates and along a long driveway to reach it. 

“Wait, so why am I here?” He moved around the car and up to Mustang, looking up into the dull eyes, “Why aren’t you handing it over to headquarters? What has this all got to do with me?”

“Because,” Mustang’s face turned pained, Edward realising the man’s hands were beginning to clench tightly, “This chimera, Edward, has more dog-like features than human, meaning there was less of a human _body_ involved.” Edward took a step back, realisation beginning to slip onto his face. “Furthermore, this chimera, he…He calls himself Alphonse.”

“No,” Edward’s pulse began to scream in his ears, his mind going completely blank as he stared at his superior, legs threatening to give out beneath him. He was vaguely aware that he had leant back onto the car, “No…No not…It can’t be…”

“We _cannot_ take him to headquarters, Edward, Alphonse is intelligent for a chimera, and he is huge in size. They will simply use him as a weapon, like they have with us Alchemists.” Mustang growled, “Or worse, they might try and recreate other versions of him, use him as an excuse for experiments, like at Lab five. So we need you to take him and leave, to pretend that he is dead, we cannot let them know about him.”

“Where…Where is he?” His horribly dry mouth was moving before his brain could even process the world around him, a burning feeling scratching at the backs of his eyes.

“I have him settled in one of the guest bedrooms,” Armstrong replied, moving to unlock the door, “He is very anxious to see you.” 

Hawkeye gently looped an arm around Edward, steering him carefully up the steps and into the house. Against his shoulder, Edward realised her hand was shaking, despite her steady composure. Armstrong turned to them. 

“If you two could wait here a moment, I shall show Edward to Alphonse.” Nodding Hawkeye gave him one last squeeze before letting him go, the boy numbly following the large man up the stairs and along a corridor. Armstrong paused, not looking Edward in the face, “He…He has some memories,” He said quietly, obviously trying to prepare the grief-stricken brother, “Though he does seem very confused about everything, he seems to know he’s in the wrong body…”

“Ok,” Edward mumbled, nodding dumbly, this was all moving far too fast and he could feel the beginnings of a headache pounding at the base of his skull. He swallowed and tried to ignore it, “Can we…Can we just see him?” His voice was weak, sounding much like the child he was. Sighing sadly, Armstrong brought them up to a door, knocking gently.

“It’s just me, Alphonse,” He called, turning the handle and opening it slowly, letting Edward walk in. It was a large, dark room, with a spacious king sized bed and a set of armchairs tucked up in a corner. To one side a fire was lit, and Edward’s breath died within him as he caught sight of the gigantic beastly figure lying before it, a hefty head turning to face them. Oh god, it was so like Nina…

“Brother?” Edward flinched, the world crumbling around him in shattered pieces, any hope that this was all a mistake tumbling out of his heart and leaving him an empty shell. 

“Oh _god_ ,” Because that voice, that strange, warped voice, it was the voice that calmed him down when he was angry, the voice that stumbled over his fist words, the voice that screeched for him when he was being snatched away all those years ago. It was _Alphonse_. 

Armstrong closed the door behind him, leaving the siblings alone as Edward’s knees buckled, tears streaming down his face, hand over his mouth as he stared at the creature, his baby brother, which was standing and slowly moving towards him, clearly distressed at the elder’s actions. 

“Why brother sad?” He asked, with such tenderness that could only come from Al, “Why brother crying?” A massive, bright pink tongue hesitantly licked his face, wiping the tears away and Edward slowly reached up, cradling the snout in his palms as he stared into those blank eyes. 

“Sorry, Al, it’s just…” A sob finally escaped him, “I’m sorry.” Alphonse studied him a moment, before softly taking Edward’s metal hand into his mouth, tugging carefully to encourage his brother to shakily stand before leading him over to the fireplace where he lay down on the rug, manoeuvring the human boy so he was knelt next to him. 

“Brother cry now.” He said simply, moving his head to cuddle his brother close as he broke down into his shoulder. They remained in that position until Edward wailed himself to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me.


	4. Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Al have been reunited, though this is far from a happy situation.

Edward awoke first the next morning, mind groggy and eyes sore, his limbs stiff from the awkward position sat up against the neck of his brother. He placed his head in his hands, rubbing away the headache threatening to arise. The fire had died hours ago, and the only noise in the room came from Alphonse’s giant chest, the huge shoulders rising and falling rhythmically. 

_Why Al? Why is it always him?_

He wanted to cry again, but no tears were left, and instead he found himself carefully running his flesh hand through the long caramel hair that he knew so well from their childhood, leaning back against Alphonse. It was soft and smooth, thick like the child’s hair he remembered, and he picked at a knot that had formed near the end, experienced fingers quickly untangling the precious strands. He had always imagined doing this when Alphonse got his body back, teaching him how to plait it for himself or cutting it – After all, several years without being cared for or inhabited, it was unlikely that Alphonse’s body was in a great condition, and probably would need some pampering and tender loving care. 

Then a horrible thought suddenly pounced on Edward, making him flinch at the realisation.

 _Could_ Alphonse get his body back now? Looking at it, it seemed some of his human body, if only a little, was mixed in here, had it been sucked in during the experiment? And Alphonse’s soul, it was now a cocktail of human and dog, would it ever be the same, even if he got his body back? Images of Alphonse, in human form, acting like a dog flashed through his mind. Would he ever get his _human_ brother back again?

The Philosopher’s Stone, would that be able to untangle them? If it had the potential to bring back the dead, surely it could restore Alphonse, mind and body, to his former self?

The chimera beside him grumbled, lifting his head and yawning widely before turning to him, giving his cheek a gentle lick.

“Brother ok?” Edward smiled lovingly, rubbing Alphonse’s nose as fresh tears threatened to spring up, the long tail wagging gently against the floor.

“Yeah, I’m fine Al, how about you? Are you ok? Not in any pain or anything?” Al cocked his head.

“I’m fine,” He said, “No pain.” Nodding, Edward carefully stood, moving over to the window where he quickly wiped at his eyes. The sun was already fairly high; it must be quite late in the morning by now, if not coming close to the afternoon. Behind him, Alphonse climbed to his feet and stretched, yawning again and shaking his body. 

“We had better go find Armstrong, thank him for letting us stay here.” Edward returned to his brother, taking his head in his hands, “And maybe find some food. You hungry, Al?” Alphonse nodded and together they left the room, Al manoeuvring through the doorway with a little difficulty, before making their way back the stairs. While Edward began to dismount, Alphonse hesitated. 

“Brother?” Turning, Edward watched as Al walked to and fro across the top step, seemingly unsure how to decent and whining softly. Ed’s chest collapsed a little at the sight, quickly returning and patting his brother’s snout.

“Hey, it’s ok Al,” Alphonse ceased his whining; still watching the stairs anxiously, tail wagging nervously, “Just follow me, ok?” Taking the next step down, he kept his hand on Al, tenderly encouraging him to do the same. They got down two steps, leaving only the back legs still on the landing, before Alphonse paused again, completely at a loss on how to position himself so his weight was not pulling him forwards. 

“Brother?” He asked again, looking around as if searching for another magic way down.

“It’s ok, it’s ok,” Going back to the landing, Edward lightly pushed at Al’s hind legs, making him shuffle them to one side, “Look, if you go down at an angle like this, everything is a little more even. See?” He gave Alphonse a slight nudge, “Try moving now.” His brother whimpered a little, and held his ears back, but carefully did as he was told, very slowly beginning to move down the stairs, Edward with a hand against him the whole time. About half-way through he lost confidence, and it took Edward pulling one of his front legs out from under him to get Al started again. Eventually they made it, and the younger was quick to put distance between him and the difficult steps, muttering to himself lowly. 

Edward could not help the light chuckle that left his lips. 

“Good afternoon,” A voice said from across the hall, and Edward spun around to see Mustang lent against a doorway, arms crossed and eyes watching Alphonse, his face unreadable, “I was beginning to wonder if you were still alive up there.”

“Yeah, well…” Edward let his voice trail off, not really sure what to say. There was no way in hell he was going to admit to crying his eyes out, though he highly doubted that Mustang would tease him over something like this. They had always silently drawn the line at Alphonse and his condition. Speaking of his brother, the large chimera had trotted over to the Colonel and was greeting him excitedly, the man talking to him with a slightly strained smile and giving him a fond pat. 

“Come on, we’ll get you something to eat.” Mustang led them across a living room, taking them to a spacious kitchen where Armstrong was sat, a cup of tea steaming in his hands and something bubbling over the stove.

“Ah, Elric brothers, you have awoken!” He stood, placing a hand on Edward’s shoulders, “Come and sit, there is some stew ready for you,” Moving to the pot while Edward took a seat, he quickly glanced behind him, asking, “Alphonse, are you ok with stew?”

“Yes sir.” Nodding, Armstrong served up a bowl for Edward and a larger one for Alphonse, placing both on the table so that Al could reach comfortably without having to stand at an odd angle. As both boys tucked in, Mustang sat opposite them, trying to discreetly watch Al but failing miserably. Alphonse, for his part, ignored the man and lapped up the stew, doing remarkably well not to spill a single drop. Edward was mildly impressed, if not a little proud.

“Hawkeye had to return to the office this morning,” Mustang finally piped up, “And I will need to leave in an hour or so, but we will both be coming back tomorrow evening,” He turned to Armstrong, “Under invitation, of course.”

“Of course,” Armstrong nodded, removing the bowls and placing them in the sink to be cleaned later, “Alphonse?” The younger lifted his head, “Can I show you something quickly?” Nodding, Al got to his feet and followed Armstrong out the room, Mustang waving Edward to sit down when he rose to join them.

“They’ll only be gone for a minute,” Mustang said, noting the look of alarm on Edward’s face, not that he could blame him, “I think their discussing…Toilet matters.” An unreadable look flashed across the blonde boy’s features, but he nodded. Clasping his hands together on the table, Mustang lent forward, keeping his voice quiet despite the chimeras absence. “When Hawkeye and I return, we plan to discuss the matter of transporting you both to Resembool.” 

Edward blinked, watching the other man. He hadn’t even thought about his next move, not that he really had much time to think it over. He sat back in the chair, feeling the wood creak a little. They had no choice but to head back home, with the military now a threat to Alphonse’s safety, and the fact that pretty much all accommodation in the city would be far too small for him. Plus he had…Needs, now too. It would be like keeping a horse in a box, the animal would suffer. 

“Armstrong is happy to keep you here for as long as we need, but unfortunately you will have to make an appearance in the office at some point,” Mustang continued, his face going pained, “I’m afraid you’ll have to act a little, play up the part that your brother’s…” He waved a hand, avoiding the word _dead_. “And we’re thinking of maybe having Miss Rockbell come up here first, and then travelling back with you.” Edward flinched.

“W-what?”

“It would be understandable if a close family friend came to be with you right now, and she could then help you get Alphonse back. We,” Mustang made a gesture at his uniform, “Cannot leave Central without causing suspicion, but it would be best to have someone with you.” Ed nodded, letting his face rest in his hands.

“I honestly have no idea what I am going to tell her.”

*

“Edward…Edward, please tell me this is some kind of prank,” Winry’s broken voice cut into Ed, his knuckles turning creamy white as he clutched the phone. He was standing in a corridor of the house, Mustang having gone back to the office hours ago while Armstrong gave Alphonse’s hair a proper brush in the main living room, well out of earshot. 

“I wish I could,” He was struggling, his voice trembling, “But I’m not. He’s dead, Winry, he’s gone.”

“Oh Edward,” He heard her choke on a sob, a sound that would stay with him for years, “I…I don’t know what to say,” She stuttered for a moment, and he allowed her the time to collect her thoughts, letting the news fully sink in. There was a small thud, and he guessed she had sat down, “Will you come home?”

“Actually, Winry, could I ask…Would you be able to come up here?” His own tears were threatening to fall now, and he desperately rubbed them away, he could _not_ let Al see he had been upset, it would distress him.

“Of course, Ed, of course I can.” Her voice was becoming a lot more controlled now, she was trying to comfort him, Edward realised. He suddenly felt horribly disgusted in his own skin. “I’ll get the train tomorrow morning.”

“T-thank you, I’m staying with Armstrong at the moment, I’ll see if he can pick you up.”

“Ok, I’ll look for him. Ed…Are you ok? How are you holding up?”

“I don’t even know, Winry, I’m just kinda…Dealing, you know?” It was not a lie, he felt very much on autopilot at the moment.

“Yeah, remember to eat and sleep, ok? And I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Ok, see you then.” They hung up, and Edward allowed himself to curl into a ball in the corridor for a moment, breathing slowly and counting to fifty, before heading back to his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone for a while, exams are just around the corner and it's taking up my time. Please, if you like this, feel free to leave a comment. I have not received many on any platform I've published this and it would be nice to know if people are reading this! It's you guys who motivate me!

**Author's Note:**

> Updates might be slow, but I'm trying to write ahead of each chapter, so I'll do my best.  
> In terms of what storyline this is - 2003, manga or Brotherhood - Just think of it as generic 'Fullmetal Alchemist'. I'm not planning on linking this to any of the plot lines of the anime/manga, it just takes place in this universe with the same characters.


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